Melanie and Martina Grant are a pair of British twin actresses, presenters and singers best known in the UK as presenters/ cheerleaders on long-running gameshow ''

Fun House A funhouse or fun house is an amusement facility found on amusement park and funfair midways and is where patrons encounter and interact with various devices designed to surprise, challenge, and amuse them. Unlike thrill rides or dark rides, fu ...

'' and in Japan for their album ''A Twin Thing''.

Personal lives

The twins were born in Margate, Kent in 1971. They now live in Ramsgate. Melanie is now called Melanie Bambridge. Her husband was a

fireman A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

who died of

leukaemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

in 2009. Martina also married; her married name was Martina Deal but she divorced in 2009. She now lives with her new partner, they had a baby boy in March 2012 and in February 2015 they had a girl. In August 2016 Martina married her partner Ben Freebury.

Television

In 1986 Melanie appeared alongside

Bill Oddie William Edgar Oddie (born 7 July 1941) is an English writer, comedian, songwriter, musician, artist, birder, conservationist, television presenter and actor. He was a member of comedy trio The Goodies. A birder since his childhood in Quinto ...

as a dancer in ITV comedy ''From the Top''. In 1987 they both appeared in an episode of a BBC

cop show The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eithe ...

called ''

Rockliffe's Babies ''Rockliffe'' is a British television police procedural drama series, produced by the BBC, which ran for three series between 9 January 1987 and 14 December 1988. ''Rockliffe'' was devised by Richard O'Keeffe, and produced by Leonard Lewis. The ...

'' credited simply as 'Girl in flat'. From 1989 until 1999 they appeared alongside

Pat Sharp Patrick Sharpin, known professionally as Pat Sharp (born 25 October 1961), is an English radio presenter, television presenter and DJ. In the UK, he is known mainly for his work on the children's ITV programme ''Fun House'', and his extensiv ...

in all 11 series of long-running gameshow ''Fun House'' as cheerleaders/co-presenters. In 1993 they appeared as themselves in an episode of STV talk show ''Scottish Women'' discussing twin related issues. In 1993 (S1 Ep 17) and 1995 (S3 Ep 28) they made a guest appearance on ITV Saturday morning show '' What's Up Doc?''. In 2011 they also appeared on a segment of '' This Morning'' called ''Guess the guests''. In January and May 2013 they made guest appearances on ''

Soccer AM ''Soccer AM'' is a British football-based comedy/talk show, produced by Sky Sports. First broadcast in 1995, the programme currently airs on Sky Showcase, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football at 10.30am on Saturdays during the f ...

''. They have also appeared in ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused o ...

''.

Film

In 1983 they appeared in the film ''

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life ''Monty Python's The Meaning of Life'', also known simply as ''The Meaning of Life'', is a 1983 British musical sketch comedy film written and performed by the Monty Python troupe, directed by Terry Jones. ''The Meaning of Life'' was the last f ...

'' among the group of children singing the song ''

Every Sperm Is Sacred "Every Sperm Is Sacred" is a musical sketch from the film ''Monty Python's The Meaning of Life''. A satire of Catholic teachings on reproduction that forbid masturbation and contraception, the song was released on the album '' Monty Python Sings ...

''. They also appeared in the 1989 '' Batman'' movie.

Stage

From 1978 until 1981 Melanie appeared as Molly in '' Annie'' at the

Victoria Palace Theatre The Victoria Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster, opposite Victoria Station. The structure is categorised as a Grade II* listed building. History Origins The theatre began life as a small conc ...

. In 1981 Martina appeared as Brigitta alongside

Petula Clark Petula Sally Olwen Clark, CBE (born 15 November 1932) is an English singer, actress, and composer. She has one of the longest serving careers of a British singer, spanning more than seven decades. Clark's professional career began during the ...

in the London revival of ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, ''The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. S ...

'' at the

Apollo Victoria Theatre The Apollo Victoria Theatre is a West End theatre on Wilton Road in the Westminster district of London, across from London Victoria Station. (The theatre also has an entrance on Vauxhall Bridge Road.) Opened in 1930 as a cinema and variety t ...

. In 1983 they both appeared in the Micky Dolenz directed production of ''

Bugsy Malone ''Bugsy Malone'' is a 1976 gangster musical comedy film written and directed by Alan Parker (in his feature film directorial debut). A co-production of United States and United Kingdom, it features an ensemble cast, featuring only child actor ...

'' at

Her Majesty's Theatre Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established t ...

. In 1994 they appeared as Dandini and the Prince alongside

Wayne Sleep Wayne Philip Colin Sleep (born 17 July 1948) is a British dancer, director, choreographer, and actor who appeared on the BBC series '' The Real Marigold on Tour'' and ITV's '' The Real Full Monty''. Early life Sleep was born in Plymouth, D ...

in ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

'' at the Harlequin Theatre, Redhill. In 2000 they appeared as Swash and Buckle in '' Dick Whittington'' at the Devonshire Park Theatre in

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...

. They have also appeared in productions of ''Red Riding Hood'' and ''Snow White''.

Music

Martina appeared on the

cast recording A cast recording is a recording of a stage musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. An original cast recording or OCR, as the name implies, features the voices of the sho ...

of ''

''.

A.T.T.

On 19 May 1999 they released an

eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

album called ''A Twin Thing'' which was released in Japan but was less successful elsewhere. The track ''Keep On Pumping'' was also released as a single and on various compilation albums. The album was released on iTunes and Amazon on 21 July 2014. The download version does not include the two remixes of ''Keep On Pumping''. Track list *Keep On Pumping *We're A.T.T. *Flame Inside *Fallen Angels *Say Yes *I Think Of You Always *Revolution Love *Girlfriend *A Twin Thing *Won't Fall Down *Influence My Body *Something 'Bout Us *Keep On Pumping (Pete Doyle Mix) *Keep On Pumping (Bulletproof Mix)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Melane and Martina 1971 births Living people British children's entertainers British women singers English twins People from Margate People from Ramsgate Twin actresses 21st-century British women singers